History PyrrhicVictory / Literature

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', the backstory of [[BigBad Voldemort]]'s wizarding ancestors the House of Gaunt reveals that they were originally very wealthy and influential in wizarding society. However, they were also '''''VERY''''' [[AristocratsAreEvil arrogant]], to the point that they maintained their blood purity (namely from Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts) via inbreeding. This had led to a ''NUMBER'' of defects in the family line, which included mental instability. By the time of Voldemort's birth, the Gaunts had managed to maintain their blood purity...[[ImpoverishedPatrician at the cost of their family fortune]], [[BigScrewedUpFamily sanity]], and [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen prestige]], all of which would have given their boasts a ''LOT'' more credibility.

* In the [[''Literature/SoulRider '']]series, the two most powerful wizards on World eventually meet for the titanic duel they've been awaiting ... and by the time it's done, both have exhausted all their power and been reduced to fighting with hands and teeth. One eventually kills the other and croaks out "I won!" before dying, but both have been damaged so badly that no one can tell the bodies apart.

** Other materials show the War of the Ring was almost much more this. If [[TheHobbit the dragon Smaug hadn't been slain and Erebor retaken by the Dwarves]], Sauron's armies would have probably succeeded in destroying the Western lands, up to the Shire, and driving the last of the Elves overseas quicker despite Sauron's defeat. Thankfully averted, as the Dwarves of Erebor and the men of Dale held back part of Sauron's forces long enough for news of his defeat to reach them.

** Other materials show the War of the Ring was almost much more this. If Erebor hadn't been held by the Dwarves Sauron's armies would have probably succeeded in destroying the Western lands, up to the Shire, and driving the last of the Elves overseas quicker despite Sauron's defeat. Thankfully averted, as the Dwarves of Erebor and the men of Dale held back part of Sauron's forces long enough for news of his defeat to reach them.

** In fact, Pyrrhic victories are quite common throughout Middle-Earth's history. The [[Literature/TheSilmarillion War of Wrath]] ended with Morgoth's defeat, but all of Beleriand was laid waste in the battle and sank under the sea. The Last Alliance managed to defeat Sauron, but lost so many people that the kingdoms of Elves and Men ended up depopulated and ripe for attack by Sauron's human allies, which led to the destruction of Arnor and the reduction of the Elves to just a few small settlements. Even the final victory over Sauron in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' was Pyrrhic, in that destroying the Ring led to the final waning of 'magic' in Middle-Earth and the departure of the remaining Elves to the West.

*** Sure, in the short-term, the Freys and Boltons are given all of the credit for killing King Robb and decimating the Northern forces in one night, and House Bolton gains control of the North, but Stannis and his armies are coming for the Boltons, the Freys now find themselves the unspoken enemies of almost everyone else in Westeros for violating SacredHospitality (the one custom that was thought to be universal across the entire kingdom), and several of their own "allies" are actively working to undermine them, leaving their position more and more precarious. The Boltons also inherit Robb's war with the Greyjoys, the imminent invasion of the Others, and only a handful of Roose's new vassals aren't actively plotting against him. His only heir is his sadistic bastard son Ramsay Snow, whose endless parade of StupidEvil actions are rapidly destroying what little support the Boltons have left. When he marries Ramsay to "Arya Stark" (actually Jeyne Poole) to secure their hold on Winterfell and the North, Ramsay abuses and rapes his new young wife for his own sadistic pleasure, so it's no surprise that she takes the first opportunity to escape the castle.

** Late in the Second Haven-Manticore War, when the latter's latest missile breakthrough swings the LensmanArmsRace heavily in their favor, Haven launches an all-out assault on the Manticore home system in a desperate attempt to [[DecapitationStrike destroy their industry before production fully ramps up]]. Although Haven's invasion fleet is repulsed before accomplishing their objective, the casualties they inflict in return leaves Manticore strategically crippled.

** Winning the Games is depicted as such. Because ThereAreNoTherapists, survivors of the arena walk out with wealth and fame for life, but with severe PTSD and ''nothing'' to help them cope with their experiences -- and if they're attractive enough, they're pimped out by President Snow as {{Sex Slave}}s-- ''and'' they have to mentor the tributes for the following Hunger Games, until they die. For example, Haymitch, the mentor to Katniss, has spent twenty-four years trying to mentor children and bringing home corpses. The trope is Invoked in this case -- the Capitol doesn't want the Victors to be able to lead a coup.

* Happens in BackStory in the ''Literature/KaneSeries'' story "Lynortis Reprise". When king Masale finally conquered and destroyed Lynortis (which would be impossible without a traitor [[spoiler:Kane himself]] leading him through hidden passages to the city), he had spent so much time, effort, money and men on the two-year-long siege that he had to give up his dreams of conquering the land that lay beyond Lynortis.
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''Literature/TheLiesOfLockeLamora''. [[spoiler:Locke and Jean kill their enemies, but they have to leave Camorr forever, they're both injured (Locke especially so), and all their friends are, by the way, dead.]] The exchange goes something like:

* Discussed in ''Literature/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy''. Some in the skaa rebellion consider the raid on Holstep Garrison to be a victory, despite the fact that they were wiped out to a man once the garrison received reinforcements, because it proved that the long-oppressed skaa that they were capable of rising up and would be an inspiration for generations to come. The main characters disagree, because they lost the garrison shortly afterwards, they needed the army to fight a battle they could win, the nobles barely take notice, and the [[EvilOverlord Lord Ruler]] holds a public execution of random skaa to punish the rebellion.

** Historically, the Dance of the Dragons was this. Although the Green faction officially won and crowned Aegon II over his elder sister (Rhaenyra, head of the Blacks), this came at a very great cost to their family as a whole. 1) Almost every Targaryen on both sides was dead. 2) The majority of their strongest dragons were outright dead, the rest were either disabled, very young and/or sickly. 3) ''All'' the fully experienced dragon riders and handlers from both sides were dead (the massacre at and sacking of the Dragonpit cannot be highlighted enough), meaning most of their know-how was lost, which then fed back into #2: any sick dragons couldn't get better, since there was nobody left who knew what to do to care for them properly. However, the ultimate tragedy of the victory was that Aegon II died ignominiously via surprise poisoning only a few months in, leaving the throne to... the last remaining son of Queen Rhaenyra, anyway. So, so much for that Green win. Said son (Aegon III) had also observed his mother being eaten alive by Aegon II's dragon, instilling in him a deep hatred for/ understandable fear of dragons. It is maliciously rumored that he was responsible for killing the last Targaryen dragon himself due to this fear/hatred, permanently crippling the Targaryen's strength. Except, he's actually on record as having tried to hatch dragon eggs several times, and then failing to get healthy outcomes. It's more likely that Aegon didn't know exactly what he was missing in the process to both properly hatch dragons or care for the rest, and was desperately trying to work it all out while ''some'' of the rapidly diminishing number of pieces of the puzzle were still available to his family. By the time he died in turn, there were no known dragons left in Westeros.

** Sunfyre's rider, Aegon II, also counts. Aside from the general mess that was the Dance of the Dragons, he personally took part in and won several dragon duels, but like his dragon each victory cost him permanent, crippling injuries, to the point that by the end of his life he turned to alcohol in a desperate attempt to dull the chronic pain he experienced, and it's very probable that his injuries would've killed him just like what happened to Sunfyre if he hadn't been poisoned first.
** So, Theon Greyjoy takes Winterfell in a daring attack using a small band of Ironborn raiders. So far, so good. But, deciding to try holding a large castle in enemy territory with a small number of allies? Not happening. Theon loses the place faster than he claimed it. And he ends up paying the price in a very, very, ''very'' nasty way by manner of [[BastardBastard Ramsay Snow]].

*** While Tywin Lannister manages to destroy the Starks as a noble house, in the process his eldest son is [[spoiler:crippled by Tywin's own mercenaries and later denounces him]], [[TheBrute Gregor Clegane]] renews tensions with Dorne and his last-minute Tyrell allies [[spoiler:poison his grandson]] and take a large chunk of his political power.
** Cersei makes her illegitimate son Joffrey king but is unable to stop Ned Stark from informing Stannis Baratheon that he is the true king or stop Renly from leaving the city and proclaiming himself king. Joffrey then executes Ned causing the North to declare independence and they capture Jaime. The Lannisters gain the throne and a three front war to match. Then add the fact that [[spoiler:Joffrey and Tywin are killed shortly after, Tyrion is on the run, Cersei is running the Kingdom into the ground and Kevan gets killed just as he is trying to fix what he can. Winning only weakens House Lannister]].

** Ser Loras's impatience with the slow sapping operation already in progress leads him to [[LeeroyJenkins directly charge]] Dragonstone, securing an important victory for Cersei at a time she desperately needs one, but at the cost of a thousand seasoned troops, none of which would have been lost had Loras been willing to wait.
* In the [[Literature/SecondMaccabees book of 2nd Maccabees]], Jason the corrupt (and eventually former) high priest continued to slaughter Jews in chapter 5, without realizing that a victory that destroys his own people is the worst possible defeat, because he was thinking he had won a battle against enemies rather than against other Jews.